Video footage, taken by security cameras at the nearby Miami Herald building, show Eugene punching Poppo and stripping him of his trousers before starting to gnaw at his face ripping chunks of flesh away with his teeth.

Horrified witnesses who passed the macabre scene dialled 911.

Police believe it was a chance attack and that Eugene, 31, simply stumbled across 65-year-old Mr Poppo.

The footage shows a naked Eugene walking on the pavement near a bridge at around 1.55pm on the Saturday.

He pauses in the shade before he is seen bent over a figure - the view partially obscured by a palm tree.

Eugene then rolls Mr Poppo out into the sun, starts stripping him of his clothes before straddling him.

He is then seen hunched over his face as he begins to eat his face.

The news came as police released a picture of Mr Poppo before the attack as photos emerged online claiming to show his horrific injuries.